Trumpeter 00617 T-54A Model 1951 MBT

The T-54 and T-55 tanks are a series of main battle tanks (according to some sources) although not recognised as an MBT by Soviet and Russian sources, instead classifying them as medium tanks  (the very concept of "main battle tanks" was applied only to tanks beginning with T-64A, armed with 125-mm tank gun) that were designed in the Soviet Union. The first T-54 prototype appeared in March 1945, just as the Second World War ended. The T-54 entered full production in 1947 and became the main tank for armoured units of the Soviet Army, armies of the Warsaw Pact countries, and others. T-54s and T-55s were involved in many of the world's armed conflicts during the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

The T-54/55 series eventually became the most-produced tank in history. Estimated production numbers for the series range from 86,000 to 100,000. They were replaced by the T-62, T-64, T-72, T-80, and T-90 in the Soviet and Russian Armies, but remain in use by up to 50 other armies worldwide, some having received sophisticated retrofitting.

Soviet tanks never directly faced their NATO Cold War adversaries in Europe. However, the T-54/55's first appearance in the West in 1960 spurred the United Kingdom to develop a new tank gun, the Royal Ordnance L7 and the United States to develop the M60 Patton